The Space Beside Him
by misanoe
Summary: [Ryosaku - sort of] A chance meeting between Sakuno and Ryoma.


  
  
"..."  
  
"Sakuno, Sakuno?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Sakuno, are you still there?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Sakuno!" Tomoka was about to hang up the phone when she heard Sakuno's soft voice.  
  
"Tomo-chan- did you say Math test tomorrow?" Sakuno asked with some difficulty.  
  
Tomoka paused. "You didn't study!"  
  
"Whaaaaaaaah, I forgot," Sakuno shrieked over the phone.  
  
"How do you forget to study?"  
  
"I forgot the test!"  
  
Oh, Tomoka thought to herself. That's how. Which led her to this question; "How could you forget the test? This test is worth 20 percent of our grade!" From the panicked sounds of quick shallow breaths, Tomoka was beginning to worry that her closest friend and fellow Ryoma-sama fan member was going to pass out from hyperventilation. "It's okay, you still have tonight. You can still cram!" she cheered Sakuno on.  
  
"Ahhhhhhh!"  
  
Tomoka paused again. "Sakuno?"  
  
"I left my notes at school," Sakuno wailed. "How could this happen?"  
  
"You zone out of class staring at the back of Ryoma-sama's head all day," Tomoka offered. Dead silence. Tomoka could practically hear her friend blushing over the phone.  
  
"I don't stare at Ryoma-kun in class," Sakuno squeaked. "Do I?" she whispered after a prolonged moment of silence.  
  
"Never mind that," Tomoka answered, evading the question. "You need to get your notes."  
  
"Ah, test!" Sakuno remembered once again, Ryoma momentarily forgotten over the impending doom of a math midterm. "Thank you for reminding me. I'll call you later Tomo-chan," she spoke in a hurry. Before Tomoka could reply, she heard the click of Sakuno's phone and then the dial tone.  
  
Tomoka looked at the phone in one hand and her notes in the other when she saw something that made her drop the receiver. "Oh crap."

* * *

It was late and Ryoma was tired when he started out for home. Even though Momoshiro graduated last year, Ryoma still found the time to play 'friendly' games of tennis with Momoshiro and they were as competitive as ever. His game with Momoshiro lasted much longer then expected as the stubborn bastard refused to just give up and give in though it was blatantly obvious that Ryoma was going to win. "It's not over until it's over," he mumbled to himself, mimicking Momoshiro. "Dumbass senpai."  
  
He paused when he saw a small figure wandering around the pavement like a blind fly. The way the person moved was vaguely familiar. Squinting his eyes to see through the dark, it suddenly struck him. It was that girl, Ryuzaki. There was a trademark confusion in the way she wandered around school that was odd enough for him to take notice. Idly he began to make his way towards her stopping when he was close enough for her to recognize him.  
  
"Ryoma-kun?"  
  
"Are you lost?" he asked, suspicion written on his face.  
  
"I-this, it was supposed to be a shortcut," she feebly explained, turning bright red.  
  
That was enough for Ryoma to understand. She'd find a way to complicate a simple trip down the street if given the opportunity. "And you ended up here." Far, far away from school and home he mentally continued.  
  
She looked down at her shoes and bit her lip. "Yeah." Her head perked up slightly, curiosity overcoming her embarrassment. "Ah! What is Ryoma-kun doing out so late?"  
  
"There's a street tennis court around here that's open all night. I've played here a couple times with Momo-senpai."  
  
Sakuno grinned. "Ryoma-kun always works so hard to improve his tennis." She tilted her head slightly as though she just thought of something, "But shouldn't you be studying for the test?"  
  
"I have more then enough time to study."  
  
Her face glowed in awe. "You're really smart Ryoma-kun." She made a small face, "Even if I had a week to study it'd still be hard for me to get a good grade."  
  
He looked confused for a moment. The low sizzling sound of a street lamp dying caught his attention and his sharp brown eyes peered down at her from underneath his cap, a small frown of annoyance on his face as he realized how dark it was outside. "Why are you out right now?"  
  
Sakuno blushed again. "I forgot the test tomorrow and I didn't study and I left my notes at school and my parents weren't home so I had to walk but it was late and dark so I took a shortcut and then I got lost and you came," she quickly mumbled together, hoping if she spoke low and fast enough he wouldn't be able to make out her words.  
  
He blinked. "The test tomorrow?"  
  
Her eyes widened. Ryoma-kun had forgotten too. "The midterm for math. It's worth twenty percent of our grade. Why don't we study together," she blurted out. She stared at her hands while waiting for his answer. It never came. Concerned, she looked up at him only to become bewildered by the little smile on his mouth.  
  
"The test is next week."  
  
"But Tomo-chan said it was tomorrow," she protested but a sick feeling was beginning to flutter in her stomach.  
  
"It's next Friday," his voice was no-nonsense and Sakuno knew he told the truth.  
  
She wanted to burrow underground and hibernate for the rest of the winter, or at least until she grew out of this excruciatingly embarrassing period in her life in which she systematically managed to humiliate herself in front of Ryoma over and over again.  
  
Ryoma was beginning to get a little concerned. Sakuno looked miserable with her shoulders huddled close to her body and her head wilting down towards the floor. She always seemed a little flushed when he saw her but this bright purple staining her cheeks and neck was downright unnerving. If Sakuno got sick while she was out with him, he'd never hear the end of it. It was a chilly winter night and he could see the goose bumps on her arm.  
  
"Here." A Seigaku tennis jacket obstructed her view of the ground and she peered up just enough to see his bare forearm holding it out to her.  
  
"Ah," looking at his jacket made her realize that she had been in such a rush to collect her notes that she had forgotten her coat. And it was really cold outside. She looked up in confusion as Ryoma pushed his jacket into her hands.  
  
"Come on, I'll walk you home." Starting without her, Ryoma paused when he realized she wasn't following. He looked at her. "You're supposed to put the jacket on," he stated.  
  
"Right," Sakuno mumbled. The thought of wearing clothing that had housed her crush a mere thirty seconds ago heated her cheeks like a furnace and her movements were awkward as she pulled on the jacket while Ryoma watched on. She looked up at him and stared at his nose to avoid eye contact. "Ready to go," she chirped with gusto.  
  
"You should zip it up," he said. "It's cold outside."  
  
"Right," Sakuno mumbled again. Her brain was refusing to function and all she could think of was how his jacket was still warm from his body heat or how the jacket smelled like a mixture of sweat and laundry detergent. She wondered what kind his mother used.  
  
He waited this time until she was zipped up before he began to walk off and Sakuno trailed behind him to the right, wishing she were clever or forward enough to engage him in a conversation. Too soon they ended up in front of her house and she was facing Ryoma once again as she thanked him from her doorway.  
  
"Ah, your jacket!" she remembered just as he was starting off home. She moved to take it off.  
  
"Keep it," Ryoma shrugged off her protests with a nonchalant wave. "I have a spare and that one was getting a little small for me."  
  
Her voice was hesitant, "Is it really okay if I keep it Ryoma-kun? You only have a shirt on and its really cold outside."  
  
He was already walking away, his tennis bag slung over one shoulder and both hands shoved in his pockets. "I'll be fine. I'll see you later."  
  
"Thank you!" she called out after him. Grinning, she stayed at the doorway until her Ryoma-kun walked out of sight.


End file.
